On to Chapter Five

I have Chapter Four of Finnegans Afoot behind me. Like an unfamiliar hiking trail, it did not go in the direction I had expected, but I think I covered a lot of good ground nonetheless. I had intended that the chapter reveal a bit of the backstory of the innkeepers at the bed and breakfast where Ann and Greg are staying — it’s important to the mystery — but I realized that none of the characters involved in the chapter would have learned that background yet.

Instead I used it to let Ann announce she is a free-lance journalist in a setting that will cause some other characters in the story (to appear later) to be suspicious of her (for good reason). I also did a little tonal work, trying to sustain a bit of unease.

So now I’m ready to move on to Chapter Five, and at this moment, I am confident of what I want it to do and how I will do it. Whether that actually happens or not may be the subject of a later post here.

I received one “no thank you” from a random agent I had submitted Finnegans Festive to. This was not surprising, but I couldn’t help feeling a bit of dejection at the time. I still haven’t heard from either of the agents that had asked for sample chapters and synopsis, but it’s been only a little more than a month for one and less than that for the other. I remain hopeful. And realistic.